In 1911, as part of the celebrations for the coronation of
King George V
, a "Festival of Empire" was held which included events such as boxing, wrestling, swimming and athletics. Teams from Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom participated.
The first official Commonwealth Games, which were known as the "British Empire Games", were held in Canada in 1930. Just 400 athletes from 11 countries competed and women were only allowed to participate in the swimming events.
Since 1930 the Games have taken place every four years, except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II.
The Commonwealth Games have only had that name since 1978. Before that they had many other names, such as "British Empire Games" and "British Commonwealth Games".
The Commonwealth Games are known as the "Friendly Games". This is because the athletes all share a common language: English!
Only six sports were represented at the 1930 Commonwealth Games. The number has slowly increased since then and there were 18 in 2006. Nowadays, the Games must have a minimum of 10 sports and there will be 17 in Delhi.
Did you know that swimming, athletics, lawn bowls, rugby 7's and netball must be included in all Commonwealth Games programs? The host country then chooses from a selection of optional sports to complete the list. In 2010, the organising committee has decided that the following sports will also be included in the program: archery, badminton, boxing, cycling, diving, gymnastics, hockey, shooting, squash, synchronized diving and swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.
Amazingly, while 71 countries are eligible to compete in the Commonwealth Games, only six have attended every Games since 1930. These are Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales.
The 1930 Games cost £20,000 (approx $33,000) to run. The Melbourne Games in 2006 cost approximately $300,000,000 and this amount didn't even include the cost of building the facilities.
Surprisingly, team sports have only been included in the Commonwealth Games since 1998.
The Commonwealth Games in Delhi are the 19th Games to be held.Commonwealth Games facts Go Go weightlifting In 1911, as part of the celebrations for the coronation of King George V, a "Festival of Empire" was held which included events such as boxing, wrestling, swimming and athletics. Teams from Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom participated. The first official Commonwealth Games, which were known as the "British Empire Games", were held in Canada in 1930. Just 400 athletes from 11 countries competed and women were only allowed to participate in the swimming events. Since 1930 the Games have taken place every four years, except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. The Commonwealth Games have only had that name since 1978. Before that they had many other names, such as "British Empire Games" and "British Commonwealth Games". The Commonwealth Games are known as the "Friendly Games". This is because the athletes all share a common language: English! Only six sports were represented at the 1930 Commonwealth Games. The number has slowly increased since then and there were 18 in 2006. Nowadays, the Games must have a minimum of 10 sports and there will be 17 in Delhi. Did you know that swimming, athletics, lawn bowls, rugby 7's and netball must be included in all Commonwealth Games programs? The host country then chooses from a selection of optional sports to complete the list. In 2010, the organising committee has decided that the following sports will also be included in the program: archery, badminton, boxing, cycling, diving, gymnastics, hockey, shooting, squash, synchronized diving and swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. Amazingly, while 71 countries are eligible to compete in the Commonwealth Games, only six have attended every Games since 1930. These are Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. The 1930 Games cost £20,000 (approx $33,000) to run. The Melbourne Games in 2006 cost approximately $300,000,000 and this amount didn't even include the cost of building the facilities. Surprisingly, team sports have only been included in the Commonwealth Games since 1998. The Commonwealth Games in Delhi are the 19th Games to be held.
Map of India
Delhi is located in the north of India
Photo of the Red Fort in Delhi (an important symbol of India's sovereignty)
Athletes from Australia have been to all the Commonwealth Games since they first (officially) began in 1930.
Imagine this! The first Australian Commonwealth Games team (in 1930) took almost a month to travel from Sydney to Hamilton, Canada. International air travel was not common and expensive in those days, so they travelled by ship, on the RMS Aorangi.
The Commonwealth Games have been held in Australia four times: 1938 (Sydney), 1962 (Perth), 1982 (Brisbane) and 2006 (Melbourne). The Gold Coast is hoping to host the Games in 2018.
Australia's most successful Games were in 2006 (Melbourne), at which the athletes won 221 medals (84 gold, 69 silver and 68 bronze).
Australia is sending over 600 athletes to compete in Delhi. That is more than the entire number of athletes at the very first Games in 1930!
We should be very proud because Australia is the overall champion of the Commonwealth! We have won 1905 medals in total. England is second with 1692 and Canada is third with 1314.
Photo of lawn bowls
Lawn bowls
Australia's most successful male athlete is shooter Phillip Adams. He has won seven gold, nine silver and two bronze medals over five Games.
Australia's most successful female athlete is swimmer Susan O'Neill. She has won 10 gold and five silver medals over three Games.
Not all athletes are under the age of 30! Lawn bowler Dorothy Roche, was 61 when she won gold at the 1990 Games in Auckland, making her Australia's oldest Commonwealth Games gold medal winner ever.
Australia's youngest gold medal winner was swimmer Jenny Turrell, who was just 13 when she competed at the 1974 Games in Christchurch.
About India and Delhi
About India and Delhi
Photo of Indian currency (rupee)
Indian currency
(rupee)
Delhi is the capital city of India. It is located in northern India, on the banks of the River Yamuna.
India is in southern Asia and is the seventh largest country in the world (just over twice the area of Queensland).
India currently has a population of about 1,179 million people. This is approximately 15 percent of the world's total population and about 56 times the population of Australia.
The official language of India is Hindi, but English is also spoken.
India's currency is called the rupee ($1 Aus = approximately 41.8 rupee).
The National Capital Territory of Delhi (including New Delhi, the Indian capital, and surrounding areas) has an estimated population of over 21.5 million people (that's about the same as the entire Australian population) living in an area that is one tenth the size of Sydney.
Go Go weightlifting
- In 1911, as part of the celebrations for the coronation of
King George V, a "Festival of Empire" was held which included events such as boxing, wrestling, swimming and athletics. Teams from Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom participated.
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